January 31, 2014

When we left off last week, I was plotting my strategy for getting to the airport for my 7am flight home from Seattle. I gave up the redeye years ago; for me, it’s not efficient and prolongs jetlag, while early AM flights help me get back on eastern time more quickly. Above you can see my suitcase (you knew it would be aqua) packed completely with books that I picked up at Winter Institute. I stuffed yarn that I bought on the trip on top. If that bag had been lost, it would have been interesting trying to detail the contents!

On the plane, I read THIS IS THE WATER by Yannick Murphy, which will be out on July 29th, as she was going to be at a dinner with me the following evening and I do not like being unprepared. In the book, Annie, who is the mom of two girls on a swim team, is coping with some challenges in her personal life (and they are bigger than "is she giving her girls enough carbs") at the same time a killer appears to be on the loose. The father of one of the other girls on the team remembers a similar case years ago, giving rise to this being a serial killing, which ratchets up the plot. The flight flew by as I read, and I look forward to finishing it!

I got home, had a lovely dinner with Tom, Greg and some friends, and then packed a very small valise (a "Downton Abbey" kind of word) for my trip to Philly --- the smallest bag I ever have taken on a trip --- and was on the American Library Association’s Midwinter show floor by 2:00 on Sunday. There was lots of buzz swirling around about who would win the ALA Youth Awards the following morning. But before that event, I was off to dinner with my good friend --- and librarian -- Charlene Rue, who is one of my favorite companions at these events. She and Nora Rawlinson from EarlyWord.com both took me under their wings when I knew no librarians and was navigating earlier shows. I am forever grateful for all the introductions that they made.

Caroline Todd and I chatted over cocktails with no idea we would be seated together at dinner as well. She was absolutely charming and full of energy as she prepared to hit the road with her son Charles to promote their latest New York Times bestselling book (I just saw next week’s list, and it is on it), HUNTING SHADOWS. We had a lovely chat about the Outer Banks, which is one of her favorite spots as well as mine. Dinner was fabulous Israeli food served family style, which allowed for lots of culinary conversation, as well as book talk. Caroline and I were trying to figure out the ingredients in each dish, our version of culinary sleuthing. Fun!

On my other side at dinner was Christina Baker Kline, the author of ORPHAN TRAIN, which was one of my Bets On selections last year. I had been looking forward to meeting her. On Saturday morning, I had gotten a note from one of our readers, Mary from Fredericksburg, VA, who traveled with Christina to Australia for six weeks in the early '90s on a Rotary Group Study Exchange and asked me to say hi. Christina immediately remembered Mary, which was such fun. Many of you remember ORPHAN TRAIN from when it was one of our Sneak Peek titles, months before it was published. As of next week, ORPHAN TRAIN will have been on the New York Times bestseller list for 23 weeks!

Christina has been on the road visiting bookstores and libraries --- and speaking to book groups --- since the book was published. We chatted about some of the groups who she has met with, and she shared that she has created some resource materials on her site, which enhance book group discussions and give readers background on the historical events that framed her book. I love back story like this. Over on ReadingGroupGuides.com, we just launched a contest where 10 groups can win 10 copies of ORPHAN TRAIN for their book group discussion. Click here to read more. And click here to see the raves from our readers from the Sneak Peek feature.

I wanted to remind you of a brand-new feature we debuted this month on the redesigned ReadingGroupGuides.com, where you can rate the books you’ve read with 1-5 stars and let us know if you think they would be good selections for book groups. You can add books that you have read personally or with your book group. Please note that all submissions will be reviewed before they are posted at the beginning of each month, thus your post will not appear immediately. We plan on posting the first group of entries shortly after the February 5th deadline, so the time to submit your comments is NOW.

On Monday morning, I was at the convention center at 7:30 for the announcement of the ALA prizes, including the Newbery and the Caldecott. Well, some librarians had been on line as early as 6am, and thus I was shuttled to the overflow room to watch the festivities on video (that room also was filled to capacity by the time the announcements began). We have links to all the prizes for children here and for teens here, with thanks to Shara Zaval, our Teenreads.com/Kidsreads.com Editorial Manager for pulling this awards feature together.

On Monday afternoon, I attended the Author Tea, which is a signature event of these conferences. Before the event started, I loved catching up with a few of the speakers, including Sue Monk Kidd (I told her THE INVENTION OF WINGS is her best book yet); Laura Lippman (whose AFTER I’M GONE will be out on February 11th and is on my galley pile; she also had fabulous shoes on as I was trudging around in short storm boots); Gabrielle Zevin (who I had dinner with in Seattle and thus felt like her stalker, but it also gave me a chance to wax on again about THE STORIED LIFE OF A. J. FIKRY); and Lisa Scottoline (KEEP QUIET is out on April 8th and is a somewhat amusing title after Lisa’s description of her family; I also got to tell her that the photos of her puppies on Facebook give me dog love and make me wish I had a puppy, at least when I am looking at her page).

I also had the opportunity to do something I always enjoy on trips --- to meet one of our readers. Marcia from Jeffersonville, PA was at the Author Tea. She has been reading THE INVENTION OF WINGS and was so happy to meet Sue Monk Kidd and get a signed book, and she also had Laura’s book on her stack as she was making her way around the room meeting authors. (All the books presented by authors at the tea are available for signing.) I confess that when we were talking, I was running pretty low on energy and also was preoccupied with coordinating the drive back with a colleague (as in WHERE was my parking ticket). Here’s to Marcia and I catching up at another event when there is more time to chat. I know she was in New York for the Hachette Reading Group Day last year; I love when our readers are out meeting authors like this!

Whew…great trips but it’s really nice to be back home….

In stores this week is Anna Quindlen’s highly anticipated new novel, STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS. Here, readers are introduced to Rebecca Winter, a photographer whose work made her an unlikely heroine for many women. After fleeing the city for the middle of nowhere, she discovers --- in a tree stand with a roofer named Jim Bates --- that what she sees through a camera lens is not all there is to life. Jane Krebs has our review and says, “Backward or forward. Reverse or drive. No idling when telling a good story. Anna Quindlen manages both directions nicely in her newest novel, STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS. She tackles the ugly question: After being successful for several decades, how do I approach the next part of my life?”

Bestselling author Robert Harris returns to the historical thriller genre with his latest, AN OFFICER AND A SPY. The year is 1895 and the setting is Paris, France. It is here where Harris has set about to recreate the scandal that became the most famous miscarriage of justice in history --- the Dreyfus Affair. Ray Palen calls the book “a thrilling read from start to finish. It deals with historic events in such a suspenseful way that you will forget you are reading about an actual situation that impacted the balance of power in Europe at the turn of the last century.”

Isabel Allende departs from her brilliant works of literary and historical fiction to pen a murder mystery, RIPPER. High school senior Amanda Jackson is a natural-born sleuth addicted to crime novels and Ripper, an online mystery game. When a string of strange murders occurs across the city, Amanda plunges into her own investigation, discovering that the deaths may be connected. But the case becomes all too personal when her mother suddenly vanishes. Could her mother’s disappearance be linked to the serial killer? Norah Piehl has this to say in her review: “Capably translated from the Spanish by Ollie Brock and Frank Wynne, RIPPER is simultaneously a suspenseful murder mystery and a loving study of an eccentric cast of San Francisco characters and the city they call home.”

There has been plenty of buzz surrounding the release of RED RISING, a debut novel by Pierce Brown that’s being compared to THE HUNGER GAMES, ENDER’S GAME, LORD OF THE FLIES and GAME OF THRONES. Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest class of humanity living on Mars. He spends his days tunneling through earth, believing that the work he does now is helping to prepare the surface for future generations. When his wife opens his eyes to the truth, he sacrifices everything --- including the person he once was --- to find justice not only for his wife but also for his people. According to reviewer Amy Gwiazdowski, “Reading this book is like watching a fight to the death cage match. Pierce Brown’s Mars is a dark and unforgiving place where death is always close, especially for Reds like Darrow.”

We also have a review of THIS DARK ROAD TO MERCY by Wiley Cash, who I also met at dinner last week at the Midwinter Conference. In this second novel --- following his successful debut, A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME --- Easter and Ruby are adjusting to life in foster care when their father, Wade, kidnaps them. Brady Weller, the girls' court-appointed guardian, turns up unsettling information linking Wade to a recent armored car heist. Robert Pruitt, a shady and mercurial man nursing a years-old vendetta, is also determined to find Wade and claim his due. In comparing the first two books, reviewer Joe Hartlaub says, “While this latest effort is perhaps not as literary as his debut, its edge is more subtle and perhaps a bit sharper while revisiting some of the themes explored by its predecessor --- most notably, the failure of parents --- but from an entirely different perspective.”

Our Ninth Annual Valentine’s Day contest is up and running. We’re giving five readers the opportunity to win 12 love-themed books (which you can see here), along with some delicious Ghirardelli chocolates. All you have to do is fill out this form by Tuesday, February 11th at noon ET for your chance to win this irresistible prize package. Sweet treats and books...what could be better?

We’re continuing our Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight of THE SWISS AFFAIR by Emylia Hall, author of the highly acclaimed THE BOOK OF SUMMERS. Hadley Dunn is spending her second year of college abroad in Lausanne. This glamorous Swiss city is imbued with the boundless sense of freedom Hadley has been seeking, and it is here she meets Kristina, a beautiful but mysterious Danish girl. The two bond quickly, but then tragedy strikes. We have 25 copies of THE SWISS AFFAIR, which is now in stores, to give away to those who would like to read the book and comment on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, February 6th at noon ET.

I also wanted to be sure you had our contest for GOING TWICE by Sharon Sala --- the second in her Forces of Nature series --- on your radar. As bodies pile up in the wake of a storm --- stripped, tortured and grimly posed --- authorities must admit the unthinkable. The serial killer dubbed the Stormchaser has returned following a tornado and taken it upon himself to bring the death toll up to where he believes it belongs. We’re giving 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book, which is now in stores. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, February 11th at noon ET.

We want you to weigh in on something I have been thinking about a lot. A few weeks ago, I was talking to a costume jewelry designer, and she mentioned how off her business has been at retail since people are not going to stores --- and buying her products are impulse purchases. This led me to asking our current poll question: Approximately what percentage of all your shopping is done online, and how much of your book buying takes place online? We want to hear from you! I have been following the results and would love as many of you as possible to reply.

Our Word of Mouth contest continues this week. Let us know what you’ve read by Friday, February 7th at noon ET, and you’ll be in the running to win the aforementioned STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS by Anna Quindlen, along with THE DEEPEST SECRET by Carla Buckley and GLITTER AND GLUE: A Memoir by Kelly Corrigan, both of which we’ll be reviewing next week.

A reminder that Labor Day, based on the book by Joyce Maynard, is in theaters today. If you go and feel an urge to bake a peach pie, you will know why!

Tomorrow is "Take Your Child to the Library" Day, and libraries around the country have events to celebrate this. Alas, my boys are too old for this, but for those of you with children and grandchildren to share your local library with, enjoy!

Greg’s 24th birthday was Tuesday, and he spent it with a friend on a press junket for the new Norwegian Cruise Lines ship, the Getaway. Humorously, as soon as the ship got back into port after the two-day “cruise to nowhere,” it was completely redecorated to be the Bud Light Hotel for the Super Bowl. They literally were changing the linens to Bud Light insignia-ed ones as he was packing up. We drove by it on the way home, and it was bathed in Bud Light blue lights.

Though I just spent time in Seattle and really love the city there, I am rooting for the Denver Broncos. A few reasons for this include that I have spent a lot of time in Colorado and in fact met my husband there. Also, our family friend, Frank Tripucka, was the original Broncos quarterback and gave his blessing for his #18 to come out of retirement for Peyton Manning to wear. All week, my good friend TK Tripucka and the rest of the family have been sought after by Denver media for interviews. Here’s one piece I really liked.

So Seattle readers, with apologies, this time it’s “Go Broncos” even though orange truly is not my best color. I would look better in Seahawk blue and green!

Beyond the Super Bowl, it’s going to be a BIG reading weekend ahead for me, as I have a number of books that I cannot wait to get into. I am going to stoke the fire (I even have some flakes to toss on the flames to provide some color) and get some page-turning in. My TBR list is very, very long.

While I was traveling, my amaryllis plants bloomed in huge color; this is what happens when you forget to plant them until early December. Above you can see some of these spectacular blooms that are brightening up our house. The blossom on the white one is one of four that will bloom from that one flower, and there are two stalks of those from each bulb. Spectacular!

THE KEPT by James Scott (Historical Fiction)
In the winter of 1897, a trio of killers descends upon an isolated farm in upstate New York. Midwife Elspeth Howell returns home to the carnage: her husband and four of her children are murdered. Before she can discover her remaining son Caleb, alive and hiding in the kitchen pantry, another shot rings out over the snow-covered valley. Twelve-year-old Caleb must tend to his mother until she recovers enough for them to take to the frozen wilderness in search of the men responsible. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

TIGER SHRIMP TANGO by Tim Dorsey (Mystery/Humor)
No one loves Florida more, or can keep it safe from invasive criminal species better, than self-appointed Sunshine Sheriff Serge Storms. When a particular scam leads to the death of a few innocents and a young woman's disappearance, Serge and his perpetually self-bent sidekick Coleman --- aided by his new pal, latter-day noir private eye Mahoney --- load up the car for a riotous road trip to do right. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE GHOST OF THE MARY CELESTE by Valerie Martin (Historical Fiction)
While on a voyage to Africa, an unproven young writer named Arthur Conan Doyle hears of the Mary Celeste and decides to write an outlandish short story about what took place. This causes quite a sensation between sought-after Philadelphia spiritualist medium Violet Petra and a rational-minded journalist named Phoebe Grant, who is seeking to expose Petra as a fraud. Then there is the family of the Mary Celeste's captain, a family linked to the sea for generations and marked repeatedly by tragedy. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

THIS DARK ROAD TO MERCY by Wiley Cash (Fiction)
Easter and Ruby are adjusting to life in foster care when their father, Wade, suddenly appears. Since Wade signed away his legal rights, the only way he can get his daughters back is to steal them away in the night. Brady Weller, the girls' court-appointed guardian, turns up unsettling information linking Wade to a recent armored car heist. Robert Pruitt, a shady and mercurial man nursing a years-old vendetta, is also determined to find Wade and claim his due. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

I SHALL BE NEAR TO YOU by Erin Lindsay McCabe (Historical Fiction)
Rosetta doesn't want her new husband Jeremiah to enlist as a soldier in the Civil War, but he joins up nonetheless, hoping to make enough money that they'll be able to afford their own farm someday. Determined to be with him, no matter the cost, Rosetta cuts off her hair, hems an old pair of his pants, and signs up as a Union soldier. Fearing discovery of her secret, Rosetta’s strong will clashes with Jeremiah’s as their marriage is tested by war. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

DEPT. OF SPECULATION by Jenny Offill (Fiction)
Jenny Offill’s heroine, referred to as simply “the wife,” once exchanged love letters with her husband postmarked Dept. of Speculation. As they confront an array of common catastrophes, the wife analyzes her predicament, invoking everything from Keats and Kafka to the lessons of doomed Russian cosmonauts. She muses on the consuming, capacious experience of maternal love, and the near total destruction of the self that ensues from it. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

CALL ME BURROUGHS: A Life by Barry Miles (Biography)
Fifty years ago, Norman Mailer asserted, "William Burroughs is the only American novelist living today who may conceivably be possessed by genius." Few since have taken such literary risks, developed such individual political or spiritual ideas, or spanned such a wide range of media. In CALL ME BURROUGHS, Beat historian Barry Miles presents the first full-length biography of Burroughs to be published in a quarter century --- and the first one to chronicle the last decade of Burroughs's life and examine his long-term cultural legacy. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

THE LAST ENCHANTMENTS by Charles Finch (Fiction)
After graduating from Yale, William Baker, scion of an old line patrician family, goes to work in presidential politics. But when the campaign into which he has poured his heart ends in disappointment, he decides to leave New York behind, along with the devoted, ambitious and well-connected woman he’s been in love with for the last four years. Soon, however, he finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of unexpected friendships and romantic entanglements that threaten his safe plans. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.

THE ORPHAN CHOIR by Sophie Hannah (Supernatural Thriller)
In Sophie Hannah's new supernatural thriller, readers are introduced to Louise Beeston, a wife and mother who is being haunted by a ghostly children's choir. Are they giving her an important message that only she can hear? Or are their motives more sinister? Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE EXILES RETURN by Elisabeth de Waal (Historical Fiction)
Written in the mid-1950s but unpublished until now, this fascinating novel is set in the ruined, byzantine landscape of postwar Vienna. Fifteen years after fleeing the Nazis, five lost souls come back to the city they love. But it may no longer feel like home. Reviewed by Kathy Weissman.

THE SECRET OF MAGIC by Deborah Johnson (Historical Fiction)
Regina Robichard works for Thurgood Marshall, who receives an unusual letter asking the NAACP to investigate the murder of a returning black war hero. It is signed by M. P. Calhoun, the most reclusive author in the country. Once down in Mississippi, Regina finds that nothing in the South is as it seems. She must navigate the muddy waters of racism, relationships, and her own tragic past. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

Tell us your current reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from January 24th to February 7th, FIVE lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE DEEPEST SECRET by Carla Buckley, GLITTER AND GLUE: A Memoir by Kelly Corrigan, and STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS by Anna Quindlen.